The invention set forth in this specification pertains to structures primarily useful as toys which are adapted to move upon an appropriate supporting surface such as, for example, a table top.
In the past a wide variety of different types of vehicular and animated toys which have been adapted to move relative to a supporting surface such as a table top have been constructed and used. Many different mechanisms have been employed for moving the bodies of such toys relative to a supporting surface. Commonly such toys have been constructed so as to be supported on such a surface through the use of wheels; commonly such toys have been constructed so that mechanical power such as is derived from any conventional type of motor is used to rotate such wheels.
On occasion various other somewhat unusual means of supporting and moving such structures have been utilized. Thus, for example, it is known to utilize the force of air to support and/or move various toy and other structures, to utilize magnetic levitation for the same purposes, and to utilize bristles or bristle type structures for transmitting vibratory motion to the bodies of toys and related structures for the purpose of moving them with respect to a supporting surface. A detailed review of all of these and other methods of imparting motion to the body of a toy or similar structure is not considered necessary to an understanding of the present invention.
It is considered that there is a definite need for structures which are primarily useful as toys and which are constructed in such a manner as to utilize a novel method of moving a body relative to a supporting surface. It is considered that this need is related to the fact that in general toys which are constructed in a comparatively novel, attention attracting manner tend to be much more commercially acceptable than toys constructed in a known or established manner. Thus it is considered desirable to provide toys which utilize other than essentially known methods of moving such toys as are briefly indicated in the preceding discussion. It is also considered that there is a related very definite need for toys which can be constructed at a comparatively nominal cost utilizing such a novel method of toy movement.